Old Jeshwnag women horticulturists in despair

women horticulturists at the women’s garden in Old Jeswwang have once again raised concerns over persistent infiltration into their gardens and destruction of their produce by stray dogs. The women, who appealed for urgent and pragmatic action towards the problem, stressed that the situation is getting out of hand.

The appeal by the women came a few weeks after an earlier appeal to authorities for action to safeguard what is their main source of earning. They observed that taking action against the rampaging dogs is crucial in that they depend on the gardens for their individual livelihoods, and that the canine invasion is a threat to the crusade to ensure food self-sufficiency in the country.

The Daily Observer, during a visit to the garden yesterday, saw for themselves a number of holes said to have been dug by the infiltrating dogs. Aminata Jarra, a gardener at the site, appealed for timely intervention in a bid to chase the stray dogs away from their garden. She called the situation “unbearable.” She said: “The dogs invade the garden at night when the place is quiet. They would dig holes in and around the beds, and in the process destroy crops. What is even more amazing is the fact that these dogs do not stop at digging holes, but they play all night long in the garden.” She called on the relevant authorities and other concerned stakeholders to come to their rescue.

“We deploy all our efforts and precious time in the garden, but at the end it all goes in vain as all what we cultivate is being deliberately destroyed by stray dogs. The proceeds we realise from the garden greatly help us at the level of our individual households,’’ a desperate Aminata narrated. Several other women horticulturists expressed similar concerns, and they joined previous speakers in appealing for urgent assistance. But it was not only the problem of stray dogs that concerned the women at the garden in Old Jeshwang. Pests infestation, they said, is also a great hindrance to the productive capacity of the gardeners.

 In this regard, they also threw an appeal to concerned authorities and other stakeholders to come to their rescue. Timely assistance, they stressed, will be of great help to reduce pest infestation in the garden which would boost their agricultural productivity. Other pressing concerns bothering the women gardeners include lack of proper wells in the garden as well as sand blockage, amongst others.

‘’There is a hole in the garden where the water passes through during the rainy season, but it is now blocked with sand. We have deployed enormous efforts to remove the blockage, but it has so far proven futile,’’ said one of the women who also told the Daily Observer that certain parts of the garden cannot be cultivated due to the presence of salt water. This, she said, is affecting their agricultural productivity.

While appealing for the provision of a storage facility to keep the produce fresh in the event that they are not sold, the women horticulturists reiterated their call for assistance.